by Lucia Ashta
“All right, everyone,” Lila said from the open cockpit, “buckle up tight.” Kai sat next to her, her copilot for the flight. He clicked his harness into place.
“Come on, Narcisse,” she said, “we’ve gotta go. Now.”
I couldn’t see Yudelle anymore, but when Narcisse entered the shuttle, his eyes had a sheen to them that he was working to blink away. The idea was that Aletox would fix the transport capsule once he recovered, and then he and Yudelle would travel to Planet Origins to meet us.
But intentions and ideas rarely worked out as planned. I had a whole lifetime of evidence to prove it.
There was a great chance that Narcisse would never see his mother again. And no matter what any of us might think of the woman, she’d been Narcisse’s only support on Earth for centuries.
Suddenly, I wanted very much to say more to her. She had her faults, there could be no doubt about that, but who of all of us here didn’t?
I unbuckled and hopped out of my seat.
“Ilara, sit down,” Lila said.
I ignored her. I leaned out the door, which two of Yudelle’s henchmen were positioning themselves to close.
Yudelle was right where we’d left her, looking as strong as ever except for the tears she wiped away. She was preparing to watch her sons rocket away from her life, potentially forever.
I scrambled awkwardly down the ladder in bulky suit and boots and flung myself at the woman I didn’t even think I liked, but that I suddenly empathized with. Since we’d arrived on Earth, she’d done everything—everything—to help us and get us to this point. We might have managed to achieve this without her, but it surely would have been a gazillion times harder.
I hugged her and she tensed. Even so, I didn’t let go, but said, “Thank you for everything. We couldn’t have done this without you.”
She didn’t pull away from my embrace, but she didn’t relax either. I was about to let go, then changed my mind, and said, “Discovering you alive and well was a big shock to him, and seeing you making big sacrifices for Aletox isn’t easy for him, not when you left him behind to fend for himself.”
Her body grew as rigid as stone. I persisted, “But give him time, he’ll forgive you.”
Time was the one thing she could give him without effort, and I hoped I was telling the truth and he would forgive her, for his sake more than hers.
“Come on, Ilara! Now!” Lila shouted from the cabin.
I let go of Yudelle and climbed the ladder. When I turned to look at her one final time, she smiled at me. It wasn’t much of a smile, but it was something, especially since I could tell she was going to hide herself away and cry once we left. When no one was looking, she’d mourn the loss of two sons.
I strapped into my seat again and the door clicked shut behind me.
In seconds, Lila engaged the engine and maneuvered the shuttle around to taxi toward the other end of the bay, now open wide to the desert, to our last sight of my home planet.
She was confident at the controls. Despite the hundreds of buttons, gauges, and gizmos, she seemed to know what she was doing. I hoped the rest of us did too. Because we were strapped in for a one way ride to an alien planet, one I intended to make my home. It was a good thing sanity had never been one of my life goals.
Lila steered us out of the bay and taxied over a path in the desert for another few minutes, continually pushing buttons, flipping switches, and monitoring readouts. When she was satisfied, she said, “Hold on.”
The shuttle turned ninety degrees so that instead of lying down in our seats we faced upward. When the shuttle snapped fully upright, I jerked against my harness, hard.
But Lila didn’t allow us time to adjust. The thrusters beneath us rumbled to violent life, and before the thoughts and concerns could jar loose from my mind, the shuttle was trembling and shaking and we were detaching from the Earth.
I’d touched the ground of my home for the final time.
I tried to reach for Tanus’ hand, but couldn’t, my arms were strapped too closely to my sides. I tried to turn my head, but the jutting headrest prevented it. I had the feeling I’d soon be grateful for my limited range of motion.
When my entire body, even my teeth and eyeballs, started to vibrate, I thought, Here we go again.
Seconds later, we were off, shooting into the sky, exchanging the vibrancy of one world for another.
I screamed like I was on a rollercoaster ride, but I doubt anyone much heard me. The shuttle was making enough noise for all of us combined. I screamed again, not from fear, but from the thrill of it.
I was leaving whatever fears and inhibitions I had behind on Earth. What bit of restraint I’d had left, I was leaving as well.
Ahead there was only hope and adventure and all the joy I was determined to find in them.
In the end, life was what we made of it. And I intended to make the most of this wild ride of a life that I’d chosen for myself. With my self-made tribe, I’d embrace every bit of it.
I screamed again, and I laughed. I allowed myself to totally unhinge.
As we rocketed across space again, I was reborn. I became a blank slate that I’d craft into who I had every intention of becoming.
I was Ilara. A woman on fire.
I’d set Origins ablaze.
Book 7
Tanus and Ilara’s story continues in book 7 of the Planet Origins series.
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ABOUT SPIRIT OF THE SPELL, a Witching World story:
Some things are worth dying for. Others are worth living for again.
When Damien dies, Oliana is devastated. It’s understandable, he is her first love. She’ll cry and grieve and, eventually, she’ll move on, as she must—at least, that’s what an ordinary girl would do.
But Oliana isn’t ordinary. She’s a witch. And she isn’t going to accept Damien’s death without a fight.
With the power of the four elements at her disposal, she can do more than challenge death. The question is, what is she willing to sacrifice to get him back?
ABOUT MOWAB RIDER, a Planet Origins story:
I’ll go anywhere to find Princess Ilara. Even to the Wilds—where people disappear and don’t come back.
The rebels are resisting King Oderon’s rule. I don’t blame them, I’d resist too if I could get away with it.
But the rebels don’t know that. They’ll kill me and never ask questions. Especially now that they’re united by a rebel who can tame the mowabs, the fiercest animals of all Origins.
Anyone who can ride mowabs must be as beastly as they are. Good thing Dolpheus has my back. We’ll need every one of his skills and all of mine to escape the Mowab Rider with our lives.
Acknowledgments
I’d write no matter what, because telling stories is my passion, but the following people make creating worlds (and life) a joy. I’m eternally grateful for the support of my beloved, James, my mother, Elsa, and my three daughters, Catia, Sonia, and Nadia. They’ve always believed in me, even before I published a single word. They help me see the magic in the world around me, and more importantly, within.
I’m thankful for every single one of you who’ve reached out to tell me that one of my stories touched you in one way or another, made you smile or cry, or kept you up long past your bedtime. You’ve given me reason to keep writing.
Read more by Lucía Ashta
THE WITCHING WORLD
(Young adult paranormal fantasy - a complete series)
Magic Awakens
The Five-Petal Knot
The Merqueen
The Witching World Omnibus, Books 1-3
The Ginger Cat
The Scarlet Dragon
Mermagic
Spirit of the Spell - FREE for joining my Readers Group
MAGICAL ARTS ACADEMY
(Young adult paranormal fantasy - a Witching World spinoff series)
First Spell
Winged Pursuit
Unexpected Agents
Improbable Ally
Questionable Rescue
Sorcerers’ Web *
Ghostly Return *
PLANET ORIGINS
(New adult space fantasy)
Planet Origins
Original Elements
Holographic Princess
Planet Origins Omnibus, Books 1-3
Purple Worlds
Planet Sand
Holographic Convergence
Mowab Rider - FREE for joining my Readers Group
THE LIGHT WARRIORS
(Visionary fantasy - a complete series)
Beyond Sedona
Beyond Prophecy
Beyond Amber
Beyond Arnaka
DRAGON FORCE
(Young adult space fantasy - a complete series)
Invisible Born *
Invisible Bound *
Invisible Rider *
POCKET PORTALS
(Young adult paranormal fantasy)
The Orphan Son *
(Paranormal fantasy)
Huntress of the Unseen
(Time travel romance)
A Betrayal of Time
(Magical realism)
Daughter of the Wind
(Superhero satire)
The Unkillable Killer
(Magical realism)
Whispers of Pachamama
(Science fiction)
Immortalium *
(* coming soon)
About the author
Lucía Ashta, a former attorney and architect, is an Argentinian-American author who lives in Sedona with her beloved and three daughters. She published her first story (about an unusual Cockatoo) at the age of eight, and she’s been at it ever since.
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Lucía on the web:
LuciaAshta.com
[email protected]